Tag Archives: Yashica-A

Now with 100% more medium format!

I don’t win things very often. Won an art contest in my 3rd year of primary school, must have been around 1979 or so. Won the smallest prize available in the UK lottery a couple of times (paying several times the total I won to get there, hardly a good return on investment).

So when the Film Photography Podcast was giving away a Yashica-A twin lens reflex camera, I sent off an email asking to be included in the draw but with no expectation of winning.

Well, wasn’t I surprised when I found out I was wrong this time? Just about drove off the road I was so shocked! (I listen to the podcast, like all other podcasts I follow, while driving)

New Arrival!Anyway, here’s the camera and new owner (yes, that would be me). Michael threw in 4 rolls of film for good measure, so I’m able to get up and running right away. The Vivitar 3900 handle-mount flash which came with the Canon F-1 works great with it, or at least fires; I’ll see the actual results a little later.

It’s a fun little camera, with pretty much just the bare essentials for shooting. A viewing lens and viewfinder with flip-out loupe for focusing accurately (you can actually see the entire frame through the loupe, too, which is handy). A taking lens with a simple 4-speed leaf shutter, an aperture iris controlled directly by a lever, a focusing knob which racks the lens board back and forward, and a knob to wind the film on (it uses a red window in the back which shows the frame numbers printed on the film’s paper backing).

No meter, no batteries required, no mess, no fuss. It slows me down and makes me think about the steps involved. Decide on and set the exposure. Focus on the subject with the loupe. Set the composition in the viewfinder (which is made extra-thoughtful by the laterally-reversed image!). Cock the shutter. Trip the shutter. Wind the film to the next shot. Perfect simplicity.

So now, in my film renaissance, I have 35mm interchangeable lens covered with the F-1, medium format with the Yashica, and hopefully when Kelli and I get over to Northern Ireland next week for my brother’s wedding, I’ll be able to find the Canon Sure Shot Prima AF-8 which was the first 35mm camera I owned, the first camera I bought myself, and the last film camera I owned before going digital in 1999, and I’ll have 35mm point-and-shoot covered too.